McDonald’s – Straw Slide

Cossette Toronto and theVanity team up to create a fun-soaked spot to cool down the summer heat. Our hearts skipped a beat when we saw the board for the first time. The Vanity was sure this was going to be one of the good ones. A fully CG straw lined with fizzing Sprite acts as a waterslide for our hero in his quest for refreshment. Not only were we trusted with the mission to create stunning visual effects, theVanity was also given the opportunity to direct.

The first stage of our pitch was to create a really good animatic. We wanted to make sure that we could tell the story we wanted to tell in fifteen seconds. With that in hand, we now had to figure out how to do it. We knew we wouldn’t be able to get our camera inside a waterslide to capture our vision, so we decided to think outside the straw. Rather than send our talent barreling down waterside, we decided to whip our camera around a green screen studio. This technique allows us to get all of the motion of our actor shooting down the straw without him moving an inch.

Surgically cut together by Posterboy’s Stephen Sora, this spot doesn’t waste a frame. The pace intensifies as we reach the climax of our hero’s journey when he seizes refreshment. Through careful planning and strategic camera placement we were able to film our sun-kissed patio on a cool day in March and still create the feel of the heat of summer.

This spot is loaded with details, and details are what make it work so well. Our hero’s journey is authenticated with subtle shadows,Â reflections, and caustics that were all created in post-production. This spot even features a shot created 100% in CG. Countless hours were spent ensuring the ice looked cold, the straw looked plastic, and that the Sprite had the right amount of carbonation.